Snow Fall
by barefootrunner07
Summary: The Joker and Harley's latest crime hits close to home. Old wounds are burst open for the whole family. Tim and Damien are at each others' throats. Bruce and Dick can't seem to be civil as vigilantes or civilians. Bruce didn't think anything could hurt this deep. Failing Gotham is one thing, but failing his family can't happen. There is a blizzard coming and time is running out.


"What time is it?" Bruce Wayne mumbled to no one in particular. The light shining though the windows filled the room.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eye with one hand. It had been a rough month, but he felt like he actually managed to finally get some sleep. Tim and two other kids of Gotham's elite were kidnapped at a school function. The Joker and Harley were behind it. He ran a hand gently over Tim's new ridiculous hair style, a faux hawk. The Joker had cut and sent Tim's hair to him. He remembered the note. He had threatened Tim's scalp next, if money wasn't exchanged in 48 hours. He didn't sleep the week Tim was gone. He couldn't take losing another child images of picking up Jason's lifeless body haunted him at night. He couldn't get his anger or his pain under control. He had one mission and that was getting Tim back in one piece. Batman failed that mission. He wasn't the one that found Tim. He searched all of Gotham and walked a fine line of crossing his code of ethics. It was Nightwing and the Red Hood who found them. There were in a warehouse in Bludhaven. The other two teens relatively unscathed and Tim was on the floor, bleeding from his head and unresponsive. The Red Hood nearly killed the Joker. He is in a coma right now. Nightwing intervened to stop Red Hood from killing the Joker, when he did Harley managed to escape. She was still out there hiding. Tim spent a few days in the hospital before coming home. His ribs were broken, he had a concussion, his hair was loped off unevenly, he had stitches, but he was alive. At first, Tim was a little jumpy. It was to be expected. In all honesty, Bruce rarely let him or Damien out of his site. The house was quiet. Then it went back to normal when he returned to school. Tim and Damien came home that day and were at each other's throats. The fighting, name calling, and screaming was constant. Never in a million years did Bruce think that going to work would be good for his headache but it was. Then Tim started having nightmares. Except he claimed they weren't nightmares, he thought he actually heard Harley and the Joker's voices. Multiple times Bruce ran into his room to find him screaming at the walls and demanding that they show himself. Bruce thought it was nightmares, until the other day. He was in his study when he heard Tim screaming. "This isn't funny anymore! STOP IT!" Bruce and Alfred ran to Tim's room to find the boy wrapped in a towel. Soap suds and water everywhere. Tim was on his knees screaming looking around frantically. Swearing that he wasn't crazy. Then Bruce found him yesterday. He was drinking coffee watching Looney Tunes. Bruce knew exactly what he was doing; trying to stay awake and in a happy place with old cartoons the least scary things on earth. He wasn't sure when he or Tim finally fell asleep last night. The television was still on and the room was filled with light from the sun. He'd would have to call Tim in sick to school. The boy needed sleep and a lot of it. There was the sound of voices arguing and feet stomping. He untangled himself from Tim and the couch when he boy began to stir.

"Shhh, back to sleep," Bruce hushed as he tossed the blanket over Tim. He walked out to the main hallway. "Tim is sleeping in the living room. What is going on out here?"

Dick and Alfred both turned around at his voice. They were both wet and Alfred was shaking off his winter boots.

"My apologies sir. I didn't know. I was trying to inform Master Dick that it was far too dangerous to drive him to Bludhaven," Alfred said. "Seeing how a tow truck couldn't manage to get to him or his car."

Dick was another story. When the Joker first escaped, he called Dick asking him to stay at the manor but Dick refused. It was an argument Bruce didn't want to re hash. They both said horrible things to each other. Dick claiming, he is on his own and he can handle himself. He didn't need protection. He found Tim and shortly disappeared after. He had called Tim while he was in the hospital. That is how Bruce found out the Dick left town for work training.

Dick stared at the wall. He wouldn't make eye contact with Bruce. He had dark circles under his eyes. "I was coming home last night when the snow started. My car doesn't do well in snow. It couldn't get up the hill without sliding off the road."

"You should have called me. Most sports cars don't do well in snow. We need to get you a SUV. Alfred can you call Tim in sick?" Bruce said keeping his tone even and his voice low.

"My car is fine. When the white death stops. I'll call the tow truck to tow it home and me," Dick said angrily.

"Keep your voice down. Tim's sleeping." Bruce barked out. He was starting to think that keeping the noise under control in the house was an upwards battle. His own voice just above a whisper.

"Master Bruce, I'm afraid all the schools have been called off. It is quite horrible outside. We could hardly make it back home. It was a complete white out while driving, it took two…" Alfred stopped speaking suddenly as a horrified look spread across his face. A smirk appeared across Dick's face as Titus and Damien came barreling though the hall. Titus was pulling Damien who was hanging on to the dog's collar. Snow, water, and mud being tracked and flung everywhere.

"Titus, I demand that you stop!" Damien shouted. He was loud enough to make his voice echo in the hall. The dog stopped suddenly in front of Dick and Damien slipped and slid across the floor landing at Bruce's feet. Dick couldn't help but laugh as he patted the dogs head.

"Some imbecile didn't shut the front gate! Titus almost got out. He could have been lost in the blizzard." If looks could kill Damien's look would have made Dick Grayson keel over and die in the main entry of the manor.

"Damien lower your voice." Bruce demanded dragging his son to and upright position.

"I wouldn't have to be yelling if Grayson wouldn't have left the gate open." The boy said before adding a quick apology. "I'm sorry Father."

"Look kid, Alfred was driving. I tried to tell him to take me back to my apartment. He refused. That gate isn't my fault." Dick frowned and furrowed his eyebrows together. He was growing more agitated with his current situation. He didn't enjoy being where he wasn't welcomed.

Bruce was losing what little patience he had for the day. "You are here now. So please, be useful and take Damien and Titus outside and play in the snow or something for a few hours," Bruce said no longer whispering.

"I don't play in the snow. Titus will freeze in the current conditions." Damien exclaimed.

Dick demeanor suddenly changed. His facial expression softened, and his posture relaxed. He gave a genuine smile to an actual person. "Hey Timmy, how goes it?"

Bruce spun around time find Tim. He was pale and with eyes blood shot eyes. He had dark circles that matched Dicks. He mustered a smile at the sight of his older brother.

"Has Alfred made coffee?" He asked.

Dick reached out and gave Tim a quick hug. "Do you feel okay? Nice haircut."

Tim rubbed his hand over his hair and grinned. "Sympathy from old Bruce. He let me get it. I can't patrol until my hair is back too normal. Might as well have some fun while its growing out. I wish he'd let me get a real Mohawk."

"Don't be a fool, Drake. No one can patrol when they hear voices," Damien spat. "And that hair cut looks ridiculous."

Bruce sighed and so the fighting begins. It was early, school was cancelled, one kid was tired, one was angry, and one was already making the house a mess, and there was no coffee yet

* * *

It was the first time that Tim and Dick managed to be without Damien. He had given up on snowboarding claiming it was a child's game, and he had better skills too perfect. The truth was he couldn't keep up with the older two. He kept falling and could only take so much of Tim laughing at him. In the dark manor, Dick couldn't tell how bruised his brother was. In the daylight, he could see all the faint bruises there were all over Tim's face.

"They are getting better," Tim said. "Nothing that I couldn't handle. Except when he knocked me out with the crow bar." Tim ran a finger down the scar on his face. "I knew enough about him to get under his skin. So he would leave the others alone. It worked, I distracted him anytime he went after the others. He pulled out the crow bar on the last day. He told me that he killed a boy once with a crow bar. He killed a little birdie. Then Harley said nighty night sugar and then I woke up in a hospital bed.

Dick cringed. "The others okay? The councilman's daughter and the kid who lives near here?"

"Leah was the first one back to school. We talk daily about it. I guess it helps her. She's been in therapy. She said she's been sleeping in her parents' room. Her Dad got her a body guard and she won't go anywhere without him. Ethan is just silent. Tim took a deep breath and sighed. "I think he feels weak or like less of a man because he didn't step up. Leah is a talker too. She told the press and the kids at school about what I would do to keep the Joker and Harley from hurting them. He was scared like a normal person, but he isn't used to my life. I wish I could tell him that. They are both really freaked out that Harley is still out there."

Dick furrowed his eyebrows together. Tim was a brave kid and he was trained far better than him or Jason. He had seen a lot of things. Tim seemed to be handling everything fine. Dick had witnessed Damien's relentless teasing and calling Tim things like weak. It was just odd that Tim seemed like normal Tim. He looked tired and was banged up, but he seemed fine. "Don't worry we are going to find Harley."

"I'm not worried about it," Tim said. "I am worried about Bruce. I think he was really scared about losing another Robin. He wouldn't let me out of his site for a while. Damien wasn't allowed out of the house. He's worried that if Red Hood finds Harley he will kill her. I wish you could have been at the hospital. He was totally different. He snapped at everyone."

"He sort of reverted back to the Bruce he was after Jason died. He got stressed," Dick said. He tried to swallow his anger. Dick should have been at the hospital. He tried but Bruce didn't put him on the list of allowed visitors. The press got in his face as he came out of the hospital. He was angry and took off out of state.

"Come on we better get back before Bruce sends a search party."

* * *

Snow day or not the science project had to get done. It felt like Tim would never catch back up on school work. He was making progress when he heard it. The laughter. It wasn't a happy laugh. It was the eerie bone chilling laugh of the Joker. Tim closed the computer. He quickly turned around in his chair and glanced over the library.

"Who is there?" He asked. He was stumbling over his words. He stood up sending the small desk toppling over to the ground. His science project falling into pieces across the library floor. His once organized binder was now in disarray all over the floor.

He was answered with another sound of laughter. The Joker started talking. Harley joined him. They were talking about him. They were talking to him. Tim tried to figure out where the voices were coming from. He spun in circles searching everywhere but couldn't see behind the the book cases. He couldn't make out where the voices were coming from.

"This can't be real!" He screamed. He ran through the library trying to figure out where they were.

"I killed a little birdie once," Joker said, laughing psychotically.

"Stop it!" Tim screamed. He covered his ears as he ran kicking at anything that got in his way determined to find him. He knocked over books and even a smaller shelf.

Then he was grabbed around the waist with his arms pinned to his sides. It sent him into a kicking fit screaming at the intruder to let him go. He tried to head but the person.

"Timothy, stop it! You are going to hurt yourself." Bruce demanded. His back connected with the nearest wall. He slid down restraining the teenager.

"It's Bruce. I've got you. No one can hurt you. Breathe with me." Bruce pulled Tim into a tight against his chest and controlled his own breathing hoping the teen would follow.

"Good boy," he praised as Tim followed his breathing in sync.

"I heard his laughing. They were talking to me. He said it. He said he killed a boy with a crowbar. They have to be in here somewhere. I heard Damien say the gate was open this morning." Tim's voice was shaky. His grip on Bruce tightened.

Dick came running into the library. He collapsed on his knees and ran a confronting hand over Tim's back. "Kiddo, it's okay. Damien and I shut that gate earlier. There were no foot prints in the snow except ours."

"Listen to me. I just got out off the phone with the police department. The Joker is still in a coma. He's in the hospital and his room is heavily guarded with police. You're exhausted. You were hearing things," Bruce explained as gently as he could.

Tim shook his head frantically. He stopped as pain spread all over his forehead. He buried his head in his hands pressing down on his forehead. "You don't understand. I was working on my project. I heard them."

Bruce pulled Tim closer. "It's okay son. You haven't been sleeping well."

"Perhaps some rest will make things better," Alfred suggested. He turned the desk upright and began to pick up the contents of the binder.

Damien waited until he couldn't hear anything anymore. He had to wait until Alfred had finished cleaning up. He crawled out from behind the giant painting and stretched. It was a gift to Bruce and he still hadn't hung the painting up, but it made a great hiding spot. Damien was small enough that he could fully be hidden out of view. He checked to make sure that the recorder he had was completely turned off and slipped that into the pocket. Damien tugged his shirt down over his pockets to hide it better. He grabbed the CD out of the sound system and smirked. He walked down the hall towards his Father's office.

"Bruce, how long as this been going on?" Dick asked. He was seething. Why did it take this long to find out how bad Tim was? "That isn't from exhaustion. He was fine all day!"

"It probably wasn't the best idea for you guys to go snowing boarding around the manor. I asked you to play with Damien not the one with a concussion." Bruce answered. He shot a cold glare at Dick.

"Is Drake hearing voices again?" Damien asked.

"Tim isn't feeling well. He really needs some rest Damien. I need to get work done. Be good?" Bruce asked. He didn't have the time right now to argue with Dick or deal with Damien.

"Of course Father. I'll keep Grayson out of your way. Come Grayson, you can teach me Russian since Drake can't play with video games with you." He tugged on Dick's sleeve.

* * *

"Ahhhhrr!" The scream echoed throughout the bat cave. Angrily, he hit the computer with both fists.

"Master Bruce, that is not an easy fix if it breaks," Alfred said. He handed him a cup of coffee.

"I still have nothing on Harley's location or her next move," Bruce said. He rubbed a hand over his face. "Gotham is just silent. It's like the calm before the storm, and I can't figure out which direction it is coming from."

"You will find her and the rest of the thugs." He reassured. He set the tray down on the small table beside the bat computer. He wanted to suggest to the man that he skip patrol, but that would be wasting his own breath. So he started with the update he gave the man before he would leave.

"Master Dick should be down in a minute for patrol. Master Timothy is working on his project once again in his room. Master Damien are teaching Titus commands in Russian. Do be careful the weather is getting nasty again."

Bruce smirked, he had walked in on the Russian lesson. Dick had made some homemade flashcards. It was the first time he had heard Damien laugh out of joy. He had smirked and laughed to ridicule Tim, but this time it was a real laugh.

He spun his coffee cup in his hand. He had no clue how life got this way. He was in control of nothing. Gotham was a mess. He had to find Harley before Jason killed her. He came close to losing another child. He had no clue how to handle Damien. Tim was hurting and he couldn't stop it. He wasn't sure if Tim could be capable of being Robin again. He was hardly speaking to Dick. Every exchange they had ended in an argument.

"Alfred, I'm failing. I'm failing Gotham. I'm failing as Batman. I'm failing to protect these kids," Bruce said. To a stranger, it would sound as if Bruce was angry and a control freak. Alfred knew him well enough to know otherwise. That was a voice laced with fear.


End file.
